Sacrificing Desire
by Debbie Baim
Summary: Takes place during season 5 before Meridian. Daniel is a professor and Sam & Jack are married. What happened?


Title: Sacrificing Desire  
Author: Debbie Baim   
Email: drj_baim@yahoo.com  
Status: Complete  
Category: S/J, angst, character death  
Rating: PG-13  
Archive: Yes   
Season/Sequel info: Season 5  
Spoilers: None  
Summary: Takes place during season 5 before Meridian. Daniel is a professor and Sam & Jack are married. What happened?  
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and places are the  
property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This  
piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.  
Author's Warning: This is only my second fan fiction. I have a feeling I'm going back to reading rather than writing. Please let me know if the story makes any sense, I can take criticism.  
  
  
  
Daniel saw no indication when he arrived on P3X-543 that his world was about to be turned upside-down. No signs telling him to beware. So when he suddenly found himself standing in front of a classroom of college age kids, he was rather shocked to say the least. He could have sworn that only moments ago he was exploring one of the buildings in the deserted city they had found not far from the gate.  
  
"Dr. Jackson, could you describe the relationship between Osiris and Isis?" One of the students asked.  
  
"I beg your pardon. What did you say?" Daniel asked, still recovering from the sudden change.  
  
A very pretty coed who clearly had an infatuation with Daniel asked, "Is it true that Osiris and Isis…"  
  
Fortunately the rest of the question was drowned out by the ringing of the school bell.   
  
"Ah, I guess we'll have to go into that next time," Daniel replied, playing with the glasses on his face. A nervous gesture he couldn't get rid of.  
  
Daniel waited until the students had left the classroom. Hopefully he wasn't about to have another class come in. Daniel looked around the room. The room looked like a typical classroom. As far as he could see there was no quantum mirror or any other device that looked out of place. Nothing which could explain his sudden appearance here. Come to think of it the students hadn't reacted at all. It was as if he had been standing there lecturing the entire time.  
  
This wasn't possible. Of course after five years of gate travel he really should stop thinking that.  
  
Daniel noticed a weather worn leather briefcase by the side of his desk. It looked very much like the one he used to carry when he was a student. Inside he found a stack of notes that appeared to be in his handwriting and several notebooks all stamped with the University of Chicago seal on the outside.  
  
Daniel decided he wasn't going to get any answers here so he decided to go off in search of "his office". Fortunately Daniel was familiar with the layout of the building from his days of working with Dr Jordan.  
  
Daniel was surprised to find Dr. Jordan's office with his name on it. Looked like he was considered an important professor around here. He wondered briefly what had become of Dr. Jordan and how he managed to secure his spot at such a prestigious university.  
  
Daniel slowly opened the door to his office. Once inside Daniel took a good look around. The room certainly appeared to be his. Daniel spotted his favorite coffee mug sitting on the table by a large stack of books and scattered artifacts. A computer was off to one side of the desk. Daniel's attention was caught by an overstuffed brown journal sitting on the desk. The type he favored for keeping track of his thoughts when at work.  
  
After an hour of engrossed reading, Daniel realized that his counterpart had been on some interesting digs the past couple of years but he had made no mention of any involvement with the SGC. Nor did Daniel find anything on his earlier theories about the age of the pyramids. He wondered if he had abandoned his beliefs somewhere along the way in order to become a respectable member of the professional community. Daniel actually felt rather disappointed in himself for selling out.  
  
Daniel's thoughts drifted back to his current predicament. As he saw it there were two possibilities. The first being he was somehow transported from P3X-543 back to a mirror version of his own Earth, possibly swapping places with his counterpart. Or two, something happened to change his own reality and suddenly he was no longer part of the SGC program if there ever was one. In either case Daniel realized he probably needed to get back to P3X-543 to fix the situation. And that meant getting access to the stargate.  
  
Daniel picked up the phone on his desk and dialed his number back on the base. Admittedly he was curious if someone else was filling his spot. What he got was the operator saying that the number was not in service. A message that was repeated as he tried several other numbers at the base. He did reach a John's Barber Shop when he tried General Hammond's number, but no SGC.  
  
So either the SGC didn't exist here or they were using a different set of phone numbers. Daniel realized he couldn't simply call up the Air Force and ask about a secret military base. They wouldn't tell him even if it did exist. However he could try contacting Catherine to see if she knew the whereabouts of the stargate. It had worked back in '69, the same ploy should work again. Unfortunately when he tried to reach her he got no answer.  
  
Daniel had no choice but to fly to Colorado Springs and have a look for himself. Given his knowledge of the stargate he should be able to talk his way into the compound without getting shot first, he hoped.  
  
***  
  
While flying to Colorado Springs, Daniel decided that the direct approach was best. So he picked up his rental car and drove up to the front gates of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. The base appeared to be deserted. The guards who usually stood outside of the outer gate simply weren't there. The gate had some heavy chains and padlocks on it that looked as if they had been there for quite awhile. The grass around the gate was overgrown and a number of weeds were poking up from the gravel in front of the gate.  
  
Daniel knew that it was possible that this was all an elaborate disguise but somehow he doubted it. Too much activity was involved in maintaining the SGC to hide it this well. Daniel was rapidly running out of options. It was possible that the stargate was still in the DC armory as it had been in 1969. But if the stargate was still buried in Egypt…no he wasn't going to go down that path just yet.  
  
Daniel knew he needed help. Jack had been living in Colorado Springs before the stargate program, hopefully he was still here. Getting back in his car Daniel drove the familiar route to Jack's house.  
  
An elderly woman was out front doing some gardening when Daniel arrived. She looked up as Daniel walked up the driveway.  
  
"Ah, excuse me, by any chance would you know where I could find a Colonel Jack O'Neill?"  
  
She slowly stood up as Daniel lent her a hand. "He moved away several years ago when his lovely wife got accepted at NASA. Such a nice couple. You know she was on the news a few months ago. Saved everyone on board her spaceship."  
  
Daniel was surprised. Jack….married? He supposed it was possible seeing as how they saw direct evidence of it in other timelines. NASA…it had to be Sam. She once told him that had been her childhood dream and the reason she had entered the Air Force. What was amazing was that Sam and Jack still managed to find each other even without the SGC. He wondered how that had happened.  
  
"You wouldn't happen to have their new address would you?" Daniel asked.  
  
"Of course. We exchange Christmas cards every year." A short time later Daniel was back on the road to the airport, hoping he could still catch a flight today to Houston.   
***  
  
The next day Daniel found his way to Jack and Sam's house in one of Houston's suburbs. Daniel thought about calling ahead but he hadn't figured out exactly what to say. He was still struggling to find the words when Sam answered the door. Daniel was surprised to see that Sam hadn't changed. He was half expecting to see her with long hair as she had in the two other timelines. But any hope that she might somehow know him was dashed when she looked at him without recognition.  
  
"Hello, is Jack home?"  
  
"Is he expecting you, Mister…?" Sam asked while studying the man in front of her. He looked harmless enough although his appearance was disheveled, as if he'd been wearing the same clothes for a couple of days. He looked too young to be an old friend of Jack's.  
  
"Dr. Daniel Jackson. And no, he's not expecting me but it's urgent I speak to the two of you. Please."   
  
Sam wasn't normally taken in by people and she certainly had her share of strange fans after the shuttle incident but something at the back of her mind said that she could trust him. Sam lead Daniel around back to where Jack was sitting on the patio having a cup of coffee and reading the morning paper.  
  
"Jack, this is Dr. Daniel Jackson." She turned to Daniel. "Can I get you a cup of coffee?"  
  
"I'd love one. Thanks, Sam." Daniel replied automatically. Sam looked at Daniel strangely at the familiar use of her name. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all she thought before she went inside to get his cup.  
  
Jack figured he was another one of her colleagues from NASA although he didn't recall her mentioning a Dr. Jackson before.  
  
"So, you work with Sam?" Jack asked.  
  
"In a manner of speaking."  
  
Strange response. After a few awkward moments Jack asked "Are you an astrophysicist like Sam?"  
  
"No, my doctorates are in Anthropology and Linguistics."  
  
"Anthropology…you mean you go digging up bones and rocks? What's the connection with NASA?"  
  
"Actually that's Archaeology." Fortunately Sam had returned with Daniel's coffee just then.   
  
"I realize what I'm about to tell you is going to sound pretty unbelievable." Daniel thought back to the time he went to an alternate reality and had to convince Jack and Sam of who he was. Back then they were part of their Earth's stargate program. These two didn't have that advantage. "Please just hear me out."  
  
Before either one could reply he launched into the history of the stargate. "Back in 1928 Professor Langford came across an amazing discovery in Egypt. A large stone ring made of a very unusual material. The inner circle of the ring contained a number of glyphs or symbols. The ring was transported to the States and in 1945 President Roosevelt ordered experiments done to determine if it could be used as a weapon of some type in the war. When that failed the program was shut down and the ring was moved to an armory in D.C. Then in 1992 Catherine Langford, Professor Langford's daughter, convinced the government to open the program back up. I was brought in two years later to decipher the glyphs and the cornerstone that was found on top of the ring."   
  
Daniel hesitated a moment before continuing. Up until now he had said nothing that would cause them concern. The next part would definitely be a test to see how much they were willing to believe. "The cornerstone called the ring a stargate and I determined that the glyphs on the stargate were actually star constellations. Six of the glyphs combined together identified the coordinates for a destination and a seventh symbol marked the point of origin for departure. With that knowledge we were able to activate the stargate. It created an artificial wormhole allowing us to travel from Earth to a large number of other planets in a matter of seconds."  
  
Daniel could see that Jack looked pretty skeptical while Sam looked somewhat intrigued. "What do you mean by an artificial wormhole?" Sam asked.  
  
"The gate acts as a giant superconductor. It creates an artificial wormhole that transfers an energized matter stream in one direction along an extra dimensional conduit." He could see that Sam was about to ask more questions. "I'm afraid that's the extent of my technical knowledge of the gate." Sam looked disappointed.   
  
Daniel continued on. "Now as you can imagine, the government was pretty concerned about what we would find at the other end of the wormhole. So on the first mission I was sent through with a large military team and … a bomb. Of course what I didn't know at the time was that the Colonel leading the mission had instructions to track down any potential threat to Earth. He was to stay behind and blow up the stargate if he found any."  
  
"Sounds like a planned suicide mission." Jack commented.  
  
"Yes, well the colonel had just lost his son and felt responsible for his death. From the Air Force's perspective he was perfect for the mission." Daniel couldn't hide his disgust at that. Sam reached across the table and took Jack's hand in her own. She saw Jack go suddenly tense.  
  
Before Jack could ask any questions, Daniel forged on. He told them all about his experiences on Abydos ... the encounter and defeat of Ra. How he stayed behind but was contacted a year later by the Air Force when Earth was attacked through the stargate. Daniel described how his wife was taken and his decision to join the SGC. He talked about the formation of SG-1 with Teal'c, the Colonel and a brilliant Captain who had her doctorate in Astrophysics. Daniel then told his rapt audience about some of SG1's encounters. He pulled them deeper into the story by bringing up Jacob. He mentioned that the Captain's father was disappointed when his daughter turned him down after pulling some strings to get her into NASA. How she wasn't able to explain why she wasn't interested. But then a short time later she was able to repay her father by saving his life from lymphoma through an alliance with the Tok'ra.   
  
"Enough" Jack exclaimed knowing that this was touching too close to home for Sam. Jack got up from his chair to stand behind Sam. He put his hands on her shoulders in a sign of support. While Sam and her father had never been close she still felt his loss deeply. "Enough. Why are you telling us this fairy tale?" Jack asked.  
  
"Because this is real! Or it was real up until yesterday when something happened to completely change things. One moment I'm on P3X-543 with you and Teal'c and the next moment I'm standing in a classroom lecturing to a bunch of kids. Now I've traveled to alternate versions of Earth but I've always had to use the quantum mirror. And I didn't simply swap places with someone else as if appearing out of thin air." Daniel suddenly remember something else, "Oh, and come to think of it I haven't experienced any temporal entropic cascade failure here either."  
  
"What?" Jack asks.  
  
"Temporal entropic cascade failure, Wow! This has just been a theory until now."   
  
Jack tapped Sam on the shoulder. "Care to explain?" Jack asked as he walked around to her side never taking his hand off her.   
  
" Scientists have theorized that there are an infinite number of dimensions each containing a different possible version of reality, some of which are very different, some of which are almost identical. Temporal entropic cascade failure must occur on the cellular level when duplicate people exist in the same reality." Sam turned to look at Daniel, "You've actually seen this happen?"  
  
"Yes, although it didn't happen the first time because I was already dead in the other version of Earth that I traveled to. But your counterpart experienced it when she traveled to our Earth.  
  
"Sam, I'm out of my depth here. Do you really believe all this?" Jack asked his wife.  
  
"I believe it may be possible. I know as a scientist I should ask to see hard facts but he knows too much about our personal lives for me to simply dismiss this out of hand."  
  
"So, what do you want from us?" Jack asked.  
  
"I have to return to P3X-543 to see if I can fix whatever went wrong."  
  
"P3X…?" Jack asked.  
  
"It's the planet's designation."  
  
"Nice name." Jack quipped. "So, how do we fit in to your plan?"  
  
"I need your help with the stargate. I flew out to the SGC yesterday but there was nothing there. I'm guessing that the stargate is still in the armory in D.C."  
  
"You guess?" Jack remarked.  
  
"It should be there."  
  
Jack turned to Sam but she spoke before he had a chance. "Before you say anything, I'm going."  
  
"Sam, getting caught breaking and entering into a military institution won't do your career any good."  
  
"Then we better not get caught. Dr. Jackson said I was the expert on how the stargate worked. You're going to need me. Besides there's no way you're traveling through this stargate without me!"  
  
***  
  
They caught a flight to D.C. and arrived late in the afternoon. Because tomorrow was Sunday they decided to wait until then hoping that the armory would be empty. In the meantime Jack went out to collect a few supplies and to scope out the place. Sam stayed at the hotel with Daniel trying to learn everything she could about the operation of the stargate. She was fascinated by the technology and the alien cultures they met. While Daniel could do little to answer her questions on the technology he kept her entertained for hours with his knowledge on the cultures they encountered.  
  
Daniel had one question of his own that he let his curiosity get the better of him "So how did you and Jack get together? In my timeline you two didn't meet until the stargate project."  
  
"I transferred to the Air Force Academy in '95 to teach. Jack was also on staff."  
  
"He taught at the academy?" Daniel found that hard to believe.  
  
"Yes, he taught survival skills. We met when I had to renew my Level 3 advanced training in hand-to-hand combat. We got married a couple of years later."  
  
Sam was never one for discussing her personal life in much detail. Given Jack's outlook on life around that time Daniel could just imagine the kind of training he put the cadets and Sam through. Sam must have somehow gotten past his defenses.  
  
"Daniel, you said Jack and I were members of SG-1."  
  
"Yes, along with me and Teal'c."  
  
"And Jack is the leader of SG-1?"  
  
"With you as his second in command."  
  
"Oh… I take it we're not married?" Sam asked quietly, the regulations against fraternization coming to mind.  
  
"No."  
  
Sam realized from her discussions with Daniel that this wasn't one of the much theorized alternate versions of Earth. In all probability if they fixed whatever had gone wrong, the timeline would reset itself and this one would no longer exist. She couldn't bear the thought of being married to anyone else. 'Oh god she thought, what if I'm married to Jonas!'  
  
"I'm not married to someone else am I?" Sam asked.  
  
"No and neither is Jack." Daniel just realized the sacrifice he was asking them to make.  
  
"Please don't mention this to Jack." Sam pleaded. She didn't want Jack to feel the same pain she was going through at the thought of losing what they had.  
  
Daniel simply nodded his head in understanding. For Daniel would be giving up the opportunity to begin again with Shau're. It was very likely she was still alive and well on Abydos. Daniel would be turning his back on achieving his true hope's desire. But Daniel knew he had a responsibility to restore the timeline. His own personal desires had to be sacrificed. Just as Sam was willing to sacrifice what she held most dear, her relationship with Jack.  
  
***  
  
Daniel was relieved the next day to find the stargate exactly where he had last seen it in 1969. Sam and Jack just stood there staring at it for a few minutes. The reality of the stargate finally sinking in. The implications were just staggering.  
  
Jack was the first to recover. "So, how do we get this stargate to work?"  
  
"We need to hook it up to a power source and dial out manually."  
  
"What kind of power source?" Jack asked, not having been there for Sam and Daniel's earlier discussion.  
  
"Well in the past when we had to improvise we hooked it up to two truck engines. Only it looks like they're no longer here. We'll have to bring in a power generator."  
  
"When we spoke earlier you said that at first you were only able to dial out to Abydos until I developed a program to compensate for planetary drift. How are we going to dial out to P3X-543?" Sam asked.  
  
"I've been thinking about that. We'll have to first dial out to Abydos and then use the DHD there to dial out to P3X-543."  
  
"DHD?" Jack asked.  
  
"Dial Home Device. The ancients who created the stargate network had DHD's next to them that were designed to compensate for planetary drift."  
  
"Okay Campers. Let's get the stargate covered up again and regroup back at the hotel."  
  
"Jack wait…" Daniel started to protest.  
  
"I want to know exactly what we're going to be walking into on Abydos and P3X - whatever before we go. And we'll need to pick up some supplies, including your power generator. Unless you see one just sitting around here." Jack's sarcastic side which had been toned down until now was starting to show through.  
  
Jack and Sam spent the rest of the morning grilling Daniel on everything from weather conditions on the two planets to who they might encounter on the other side. Jack did not like the sound of Ra or his guards. Daniel tried to reassure him that Ra would only be there if he needed to collect the naquadah from the mines and he considered that highly unlikely.  
  
Nevertheless Jack decided to pay a visit to a friend in D.C. who could provide them with some firepower on short notice with no questions asked.  
  
Fortunately they were able to sneak back in to the armory later that day even loaded down with their supplies and power generator. Sam was dismayed by the lack of security at the facility but grateful they didn't have to confront their own people.  
  
Sam wished she had more time to study the mechanics of the stargate. It was rather disconcerting to be considered the expert on the technology by Daniel when she knew nothing at all about it. She wanted to know more about the element that was acting as a super conductor, enabling the stargate to store the energy from the power generator in reservoirs.   
  
As the stargate was powering up Jack paced restlessly around the armory. Constantly keeping an eye out for the guards. While they bought the quietist generator they could find, he still thought it was echoing loudly across the room.  
  
Sam tore her eyes away from the gate to stare at Jack for a moment. He was really in his element here. The last twenty four hours she had a chance to see Jack in action, doing what he was trained to for. Jack had retired when they moved to Houston for her job, insisting that her career took priority. While he appeared quite content at home and insisted he was enjoying the down time she had to wonder. Watching Jack take charge she could just imagine what kind of leader he was for SG-1. Sam's thoughts were brought back to the stargate when the wormhole emerged from the center of the ring. Sam just stared in fascination. One part of her was marveling at the beauty of it while her scientist half was seeing the fluctuations in the event horizon.  
  
Jack was just anxious to go before they got caught. "All right, let's move out."  
  
Sam & Jack emerged on the other side suffering slightly from the effects of traveling through the wormhole. Their bodies no longer used to gate travel. Unfortunately they had no time to recover before several serpent guards were on top of them. Daniel was shocked to see serpent guards. If anything he expected to see Ra's guards not Apophis. Daniel's last thoughts before he was knocked unconscious was to wonder what else had changed.  
  
They woke up in a cell. "Want to tell us what happened?" Jack glared at Daniel.  
  
"Looks like we're aboard one of Apophis ships."  
  
"I thought you said Ra controlled Abydos."  
  
"Yeah, well something must have changed. The system lords are constantly fighting each other and Apophis was one of Ra's greatest rivals."  
  
"So what happens next?" Sam asked trying to prevent Jack and Daniel from going at each other.  
  
"Hard to say. We're back to being unknown to the Goa'uld. They could make us hosts, send us to work in the mines, torture us to find out where we come from or simply kill us."  
  
"You left out tar and feathering from your doomsayer's list. Besides if they were going to kill us they probably would have done it already. Makes no sense to lock us up first," Jack said.  
  
"Not necessarily. Jaffa usually take their orders from a Goa'uld. They're probably waiting for instructions."  
  
"Would the Jaffa act without instructions or go against their orders from the Goa'uld?" Sam asked looking for an advantage to exploit.  
  
"Highly unlikely. The Goa'uld are gods to the Jaffa. Add to that Apophis' tendency to kill any Jaffa who displeases him. You don't get much dissention in the ranks," Daniel replied.  
  
Jack walked the perimeter of their cell probing for weaknesses. Finding none he could detect he returned to sit down next to Sam pulling her into his arms. Sam enjoyed the feeling of strength and protection from Jack but was worried that he may act rashly to protect her. "Jack, as nice as this feels, when the guards come I need you to treat me as you would any other member of your team on a mission."  
  
"Sam, I don't know if I can do that." Jack avoided looking into her eyes.  
  
"Dammit Jack, I'm a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force and I didn't get that rank by playing the simpering female."  
  
A Colonel? Daniel was surprised. He didn't realize that working for the SGC was holding Sam back in her career. Although he figured if asked she'd probably say it was worth it. Daniel wisely decided to stay out of this particular discussion.  
  
About six hours later four Jaffa came to get them. They were marched down the hallways occasionally being prodded along. The Jaffa's heavy armor and boots echoed loudly through the halls. Jack studied their every move, looking for kinks in their armor while Sam took in the details of their journey through the ship. She was amazed at how much the architecture of this alien ship reminded her of Egypt with the hieroglyphics along the walls. Eventually they were led into a small chamber where a very large Jaffa in full armor was waiting for them.   
  
The trio were marched into the center of the room, the Jaffa pointing their staff weapons at them. Daniel noticed a control panel off to the left for the transporter rings. Two of the Jaffa moved in closer intending to accompany them back down to the planet. However the Jaffa who was waiting for them signaled with his hand for them to move away.  
  
In a deep voice from within his helmet he said, "Your assistance is not required." He stepped in to the transport area.  
  
"But My Lord."  
  
"Kree! Do you think I am incapable of handling three weaklings such as these?!" He grabbed a hold of Sam to make his point. Jack was about to attack the Jaffa when Daniel put a restraining hand on him. Daniel was barely able to restrain him  
  
"No My Lord." They were immediately transported back to Abydos.  
  
Jack realized this was probably going to be the only chance he got. As soon as the rings disappeared he launched himself at the Jaffa while Sam tore away from his grip.  
  
"Jack stop!" Daniel shouted as he pulled Jack off of the Jaffa. "He's a friend."  
  
The Jaffa's helmet opened up to reveal a very puzzled Teal'c. "Is there a problem O'Neill?" he asked.  
  
"Jack and Sam have no memory of us or the SGC." Daniel quickly explained. "Guys, this is Teal'c. I told you about him. He's a member of our team."  
  
"Wait a minute, why does he remember who we are and we don't?" asked Jack.  
  
"I don't know. Maybe it's because he was in the same room with me on P3X-543 when everything changed and you two weren't. It doesn't matter now." Daniel turned to Teal'c, "We need to get back to P3X-543 and fix this."  
  
"Indeed Daniel Jackson. I came to the same conclusion when I suddenly found myself back in the service of Apophis who appeared to be alive yet again. I was planning on returning to P3X-543, however when I learned of your capture I determined you might need my assistance."  
  
"Thanks Teal'c." Daniel moved over to the DHD and started dialing out.   
  
Jack was keeping a weary eye on Teal'c and didn't notice the Jaffa who just entered the chamber. The Jaffa believing that Jack was about to attack Apophis' First Prime raised his staff weapon. Sam saw him only moments before he fired his weapon at Jack. "No!" Sam screamed as she rushed to push Jack out of the way. Teal'c rapidly returned fire.  
  
"Sam!" Jack let out a gut wrenching cry as he ran to her side. He could see blood streaming down her side from an ugly looking wound just below her ribs.  
  
Daniel quickly finished dialing and the wormhole engaged to P3X-543.  
  
Teal'c spoke to Jack, "We must leave now O'Neill. More Jaffa will be on their way." Teal'c bent down to pick up Sam.   
  
Jack shot a deathly glare at Teal'c. "Leave her alone!"  
  
"Jack, he's right. We can help her on the other side but we have to leave now." Daniel stood at the edge of the stargate.   
  
Jack realized he had no choice if he wanted to help Sam. They were exposed here and he doubted the Jaffa would be inclined to render any kind of first aid. Earth wasn't an option since he didn't know how to use the DHD. He tried to gently gather her up in his arms but she still cried out in pain when he lifted her. "Hang on Sam. Please just hang on," he whispered to her as he held her close to his chest, her head resting on his shoulder.  
  
Upon arriving at P3X-543 they immediately started walking towards the ruins of the alien city. But Sam was bleeding heavily from her wound. She looked up at Jack with pain filled eyes. "Jack." She said quietly.  
  
He looked down at her. "Shh, it's going to be all right."  
  
"Jack please…stop." Jack couldn't ignore her impassioned plea. He realized every move he made was digging in to her open wound, causing her tremendous pain.   
  
He placed her down on the ground. Daniel took off his jacket and came over to place it under Sam's head. Jack finally got a good look at her wound. He felt his chest tighten and he had to fight to catch his breath. It was bad. Her whole side was laid bare down to the hip bone. He looked up at Daniel in despair. Daniel just shook his head slightly. There was nothing he could do.   
  
Daniel knew that there was no way Jack was going to leave Sam behind. He touched Jack on the shoulder. "Why don't you stay here with Sam. We'll go on to the city and see if we can find help." They both knew there would be no help in the ruined city, not of that kind. The only way to save Sam now was for Daniel to succeed in their original mission and therefore have the timeline restored. But by giving voice to the lie, Daniel was telling Jack that it was okay for him to remain behind. He and Teal'c could take it from here.  
  
Jack was torn. As the leader of this team he had responsibility for Dr. Jackson and Teal'c. But there was no way he was going to leave Sam and carrying her further was not an option. Jack rationalized that he was the best person to stay behind since he had no knowledge of the alien city. He nodded his agreement. "Be careful. Just because no one was here the first time around doesn't mean the city is deserted this time."  
  
"I shall be on guard O'Neill." Teal'c reassured him as he took off with Daniel.  
  
Jack was scared to death that he was going to loose Sam. He hadn't felt this way since he had lost Charlie. It was a feeling he buried long ago hoping never to resurface. Jack wondered how he coped over the last five years. The missions Dr. Jackson described sounded dangerous and he doubted Dr. Jackson had told him the worst of it by any means. While he knew the fraternization rules would have prevented any relationship with Sam he couldn't imagine seeing her placed in danger week after week.  
  
Sam's grip tightened on Jack's arm as she struggled to contain the pain. Jack reached over with his other hand to gently stoke her cheek as he pushed some hair out of her face.   
  
"Wow. I can't believe…I'm going to die…on another planet," Sam said as she struggled to breath.  
  
"You're not going to die Sam," Jack said fiercely.  
  
"Jack…" she looked up into his eyes and could see the depth of his emotions.  
  
"Sam please, don't leave me," Jack pleaded with her.  
  
Sam felt herself drifting away but was called back by Jack.  
  
"Sam"  
  
"Jack….I love you," she whispered.  
  
Jack swallowed a lump in a his throat. "Sam, I love you too. Whatever happens…whatever changes…I will always love you." Deep in her heart she knew that to be true. He leaned down to kiss her on the lips as she closed her eyes one last time.  
  
***  
  
Teal'c and Daniel made good time in reaching the building where it had all started. A holographic image of a human male in his forties appeared before them. He was dressed in a gray non-descript jumpsuit. "Why have you returned?" he asked.   
  
"Who are you?" Daniel responded with a question of his own. He was definitely not here their first visit.  
  
"I do not have a name. I was created by the people of Inia."  
  
"For what purpose?" Daniel wanted to know.  
  
"For fulfilling their desires."  
  
"How do you do that?" Daniel had a feeling they were about to find the answers they were looking for.  
  
"I am designed to tap into the subconscious thoughts. I then…rearrange matter to produce the desired outcome."  
  
"Rearrange matter?" Daniel wanted to know more about the process.  
  
" I am sorry I cannot explain it better than that in your limited understanding of the universe."  
  
"So you're responsible for the changes in our lives."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I did not desire to be Apophis First Prime," stated Teal'c.  
  
"My apologies. I had difficulty interpreting your subconscious thoughts because of the second entity that resides within you."  
  
"Where are the Inians?"   
  
"The last ones died several millennia ago."  
  
"Do you know why?" Daniel was curious as ever.  
  
"Daniel Jackson should we not be restoring the timeline?" Teal'c reminded him.  
  
Daniel had one more question. "Can you tell us what happened to the Inians?"  
  
"The last of the Inians believed that their society's obsession with achieving their own personal desires led to the collapse of their world's infrastructure."  
  
"Daniel Jackson." Teal'c knew that Daniel would spend all day asking questions if allowed.  
  
Daniel looked over at Teal'c in annoyance but turned back to the holographic image and asked, "Can you restore our original timeline? Put things back to the way they were prior to the changes you made?"  
  
"If that is your desire."  
  
"Yes that is what we wish."  
  
"Done."  
  
***  
  
"Daniel…Oh Daniel. Where are you?" Daniel was tempted to ignore Jack's call and move on to the next room. But he knew he'd have to listen to Jack's griping about his attentiveness all the way back to the gate.   
  
Jack caught up with him. "Ah, there you are. Time to head out."  
  
"But Jack, there was one more room I wanted to check out."  
  
"There's always one more room. Trust me Daniel. You're not going to find nirvana. Let's head out."  
  
Daniel took one last look behind him and sighed heavily. 'One day Jack…one day.' he thought.  
  
Finis. 


End file.
